On August 4, the city of Beirut experienced an enormous, incredibly tragic explosion that claimed numerous lives and caused widespread damage. Many videos of this event show the explosion from various angles, as well as the resulting impact, but it can be difficult to understand the extent of the damage. Here to help is NASA, which has published a map showing the extent of the damage caused by the Beirut explosion with satellite data.
The Beirut explosion started relatively small, with a fire going off at a hangar containing fireworks, which can be seen in videos of the first incident. However, a second – and fairly massive – explosion occurred shortly thereafter, causing a mushroom cloud and shock wave that quickly spread outward, claiming lives, causing injuries and destroying structures.
Several control systems recorded the explosion as equivalent to an earthquake measuring 3.3 to 4.5 magnitude. According to experts, this is one of the biggest explosions to result from non-nuclear sources. To measure the extent of the damage, NASA’s Advanced Rapid Imaging and Analysis (ARIA) team teamed up with Singapore’s Earth Observatory to generate a map of the damage.
The renderer was made using satellite data intended to observe ground changes that occur before and after some major event – mostly earthquakes, but in this case the explosion. As you probably guessed, the darker the red color on the map above, the more the damage is in those regions.
NASA says the map has a resolution of 33 yards per colored pixel. The outer yellow bands on the map show areas of ‘slightly less damage’, the space agency explains.
There is an obvious advantage in generating such maps – in addition to helping visualize the extent of the destruction, the map can also support government agencies and support organizations at zero in the areas that provide the most assistance. needed, and ultimately helps them prioritize resources for the most efficient outcome.
